Mounjaro, Wegovy move beyond obesity as anti-aging drug trials get underway

GLP-1 receptor agonists — the class of drugs that reshaped the global pharmaceutical market as treatments for obesity and diabetes — are now moving into a new frontier: anti-aging medicine. Following scientific evidence from animal studies showing life-extending effects, formal clinical trials have begun to test whether the drugs can slow biological aging in humans.

According to the journal Nature, a research team led by Danica Chen, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, published findings Wednesday showing that administering semaglutide — sold under the brand names Wegovy and Ozempic — to elderly mice significantly extended their lifespan.

The researchers gave semaglutide to healthy female mice aged 20 months — roughly equivalent to a 60-year-old human — for three months and then tracked them over the long term. The treated mice lived an average of 834 days, 12 percent longer than the untreated control group, which averaged 742 days — a difference of 92 days.

Beyond the lifespan extension, the treated mice also outperformed the control group on key physiological measures, including motor coordination, muscle function and glucose metabolism. Cellular and molecular markers of aging, including chronic inflammation that accelerates the aging process, were also found to be reduced.

Notably, the study included a direct comparison with caloric restriction — one of the most well-established dietary interventions for longevity — and found that semaglutide delivered benefits beyond simple appetite suppression. The drug replicated the physical-function preservation seen with caloric restriction while showing even more favorable improvements in spatial memory, exploratory behavior and blood sugar regulation. The findings establish a mechanistic framework for semaglutide as a "caloric restriction mimetic" — one that directly regulates intracellular nutrient sensors and aging-related genes rather than merely producing secondary effects from reduced food intake.

While the latest findings come from animal studies, human trials are already underway. According to ClinicalTrials.gov, researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston have launched a Phase 2 trial — called the Moody Longevity Trial — to test the anti-aging effects of tirzepatide, Eli Lilly's dual GLP-1/GIP receptor agonist sold as Mounjaro and Zepbound. The trial is enrolling 90 overweight adults between the ages of 55 and 70 who have obesity, high blood pressure or other weight-related conditions, and will track changes in their biological aging rate after tirzepatide treatment. The study began in February and aims to conclude in January 2028.

Reactions in the scientific community are a mix of excitement and caution. Michael Corley, a professor at UC San Diego, told Nature that GLP-1 drugs "rank among the most promising candidates" in the search for longevity treatments, but added that "years of additional validation will be needed before they can be prescribed specifically for longevity."

Ho Ko, a professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong who previously identified delayed muscle-strength decline in male mice using another GLP-1 drug, exenatide, said the new study's focus on female mice means cross-sex research is needed to determine whether the effects differ by sex. He also recommended that clinical validation focus on patients in the early stages of age-related disease rather than on fully healthy individuals.

The expanding indications for GLP-1 drugs are prompting a reassessment of the pipeline and production infrastructure of South Korea's pharmaceutical and biotech sector. As obesity drugs extend their reach to chronic age-related conditions — including cardiovascular and kidney disease — and potentially to longevity treatment itself, companies that have secured peptide-based drug candidates and manufacturing capacity ahead of the curve are expected to benefit.

Hanmi Pharm recently out-licensed HM17321 to Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, in a deal worth up to $2.3 billion. The peptide-based drug is designed to prevent muscle loss and improve body composition, and analysts see strong potential for its expansion into treatments for age-related sarcopenia and metabolic conditions.

Competition for peptide manufacturing capacity is also intensifying in the global contract development and manufacturing organization market. Samsung Biologics raised 3 trillion won ($2.21 billion) through a rights offering to acquire PolyPeptide Group, a Swiss peptide-focused CDMO, for approximately 2.7 trillion won. The move is widely seen as a strategic bid to secure a dominant position in the supply chain for key raw materials in the emerging anti-aging medical market — a goal that goes beyond simply meeting surging demand for obesity drugs.